Page 87 of Stroke of Fate

“Thank fuck.” His smile is so broad that the outer corners of his beautiful eyes crinkle.

He picks me up and spins me in his arms. I hold on tight to him, our laughter echoing around us. Even Winston joins in, barking his approval as his tail wags a mile a minute.

Levi sets me down, but only long enough to kiss me—hard—and when we break apart, the heat in his eyes is full of dirty promises.

“Let’s go home. I want to celebrate this properly.”

“I like the way you think, Whiskey Eyes.” I grin.

25 | LEVI

“Tell me more about your mom,” Bear says, adjusting the vents in the car.

We’re about halfway through the drive to my mom’s house. Usually, I’d ride the bus with the rest of the guys and have her pick me up from the hotel we’d stay at in town, but I didn’t want Bear to drive by herself. Especially not this late and right after she finished a shift at work.

A few days ago, I admitted that the meet this weekend is in my hometown, and if she decides to come, we’d stay at my mom’s house.

And yes, I may have done it after giving her two orgasms, so she’d be more open to the idea.

Turns out, I was right. She was okay with it until the following day when she started questioning whether it was a good idea. It was too soon, according to her. But after reassuring her that no, we weren’t moving too fast, and yes, my mom would be happy to have her stay over, she conceded.

She doesn’t know that I’m so down with her meeting my mom because she’s the only girl I plan on bringing home—not that I’ll tell a soul aboutthatuntil the time is right.

“My mom is the hardest-working person I know,” I tell her, keeping my eyes trained on the long stretch of highway ahead. “She got pregnant in her senior year of high school, and when she told my so-called dad, he wanted nothing to do with her or me.”

My molars clamp down tightly, and I force myself to relax. I always get pissed thinking about him, which is why Irarely do. Not because he walked away but because he left my mom to deal with everything alone.

“She put herself through community college and earned a nursing degree. A few years later, she went back to school and became a nurse practitioner—all while being a single mom,” I add, feeling proud.

I never saw it as a kid, but I realize how much she sacrificed now that I'm older. Those early morning swim practices she drove me to, cheering me on at every meet, even after a twelve-hour graveyard shift. I’m where I am today because of her,notdespite growing up without a father.

“Wow… that’s amazing,” Bear says. “You had no family around growing up?”

“Only my grandparents, but they were older.” Both retired, and neither had the energy to care for a baby or chase after a toddler. “They both passed away by the time I was eight, and it’s been the two of us ever since.”

I glance at Bear, who’s wearing a sad smile.

“I’m sorry,” she says.

Keeping my attention on the road, I pick up the hand closest to mine and gently kiss her knuckles. Her gaze burns into the side of my face, but when I give her a sideways glance, she averts her eyes and fiddles with one of the gold rings on her finger.

“I can hear you think, so just ask your question.” I chuckle, merging onto the exit ramp that will take us straight into the town I grew up in.

She huffs. “Fine, but don’t feel like you need to answer.”

“Deal.”

“Did you miss having a dad around?”

“No,” I say, without hesitation or thought. “Everything my mom did was to give me a good life. And that included lettinghim go when he made it clear he wasn’t interested in raising a kid.”

It’s hard to have feelings toward a man I’ve never met. Sure, growing up, it sucked sometimes, but the void some people feel from not having a second parent never bothered me. Not when my mom was enough to fill the role of two people.

“I feel sad for him. He’s missing out on knowing what an amazing guy you are,” she says softly, and my fucking chest squeezes tight.

Not because he’s missing out but because she thinks I’m amazing.

“I probably wouldn’t have turned out half as great if he was around.”

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